For those who may have just joined us, I'm riffing off Lorie Parch's article "Secrets of Thin People: How They Get There, How They Stay There" which appeared in the April 2006 issue of MORE magazine.
Some of the "secrets" of thin people transfer well into "secrets" for success for artists.
Thin Secret For Success No. 6:
Thin people enjoy their food.
Thin people like their food just as much as overweight people. In fact, they may enjoy it MORE. Because they're making good healthy choices (to watch portion size, to eat more fruits and veggies, to exercise regularly, etc.) they can eat guilt-free.
Because we HAVE to eat to live. Might as well enjoy it!
How does this translate into a successful artist secret?
For me, I know that becoming successful means not only making the artwork every day, and making it as wonderful and as well-made as I can. It also means making time for the other things that keep my business healthy--customer service; self-promotion; developing new lines occasionally to keep things fresh; growing new customer relationships to make up for natural attrition. It means constantly stretching and growing, trying new venues, new approaches, new goals, even.
These things take time away from actual production work. More time than I'd like to admit sometimes. Sometimes I feel guilty when I'm updating a mailing list or working on a new postcard. Instead of working on a new catalog page, shouldn't I be making more jewelry? More sculpture? Instead of promoting my wall hangings, shouldn't I be making new ones?
But then when I'm happily making jewelry or sculpture, I think, "Maybe I should catch up on my accounting instead." Or my website. Or that idea for a new brochure.
The real test is when I have to stamp, label and mail hundreds and hundreds of postcards for a show or event. Pretty mundane stuff.
I sometimes pay my kids to do it, but usually it's just me. It used to drive me crazy, too--how boring!! Everything thinks it's so exciting to be an artist, and here I am sticking on ten rolls of 27 cent stamps. When the postage rates went up, I had to add ten rolls of penny stamps, too. OY!!
Then I read something in a book that encouraged us to look for the pleasure in even the most trivial tasks. And I realized that every postcard represented a devoted customer who had actually bought a piece of my work at some point. WOW! I now approach that task with a whole new attitude of joy and gratitude.
It helps to accept that it's all part of the long-term plan, the big picture. It helps to realize that each thing I do for my business--INCLUDING MAKING ARTWORK--is PART of building my business. An important part. (Thanks and a hat-tip to Mark Zelis, the newest faculty candidate for the Arts Business Institute for this unusual insight.)
One can't happen without the other. You can't just make art and have it pile up in your studio with no venues for showing and selling it (unless you love working in a vacuum....?) You can't just focus on the business side without making the artwork.
It's that delicate balance of feeding BOTH sides of your business that creates success.
So, go ahead--enjoy making your artwork. And when you have to stamp and label 958 postcards for an upcoming show, relax and enjoy that, too.
Remember, every day you will have a chance to move your art to another level, and a chance to move your business forward one step.
And every day you will MISS an opportunity to do so.
So let go of achieving perfection in both. And just strive to be doing the best you can, where you are right now.
And enjoy the process.
It's good. It's ALL good.
